Category Archives: Culture

In the next-to-last blog of their “Summer Celebration of Emily Dickinson,” Camille and Sandy Kress explore the poet’s extraordinary “Luck is Not Chance.” What is luck? What is the cause of our good fortune? Do we value what truly creates value? These are some of the profound questions Dickinson asks and discusses, thus making them… Read More…

Camille and I tackle a short, brilliant Dickinson poem this week. What is truth? How can it best be told? How do we learn and understand it? These are the questions on the poet’s mind, and she has answers. The poem is conventionally understood one way. Camille takes that path, though I believe far more… Read More…

This week Camille Kress and I look at, and write about, Emily Dickinson’s provocative poem, The Brain. The Brain—is wider than the Sky— For—put them side by side— The one the other will contain With ease—and You—beside— The Brain is deeper than the sea— For—hold them—Blue to Blue— The one the other will absorb— As… Read More…

My wife, Camille Ware Kress, and I are big fans of the great American poet, Emily Dickinson. Frequently, we’ll put life aside and devote an hour to the wonderful work of reading, discussing, and coming to an understanding of one of her poems. We buy all sorts of editions of her work. We travel to… Read More…

I recently had the pleasure of reading A Sense of the Future, a collection of essays on science, by the late Jacob Bronowski. While diving into this fine book, I recalled with equal pleasure the experience of watching the remarkable documentary, The Ascent of Man, which he created for television in the 1970s. One thing… Read More…

During the holidays, I tend to reminisce. One of my topics of focus in this holiday season has been to remember fondly the time I served during my law school years as chairman of the UT Cultural Entertainment Committee. Our committee would receive several dollars out of each “blanket tax” students would pay, mostly for… Read More…